Buddhist Studies

UQ Buds welcomes you to join us for the second sutra study. We will keep learning Chapter 1 “The Human Condition” of Bhikkhu Bodhi’s book “In the Buddha’s Words”. The session will start with 30 minutes meditation and free vegetarian food. The schedule is below:

UQ Buds welcomes you to join us for the first sutra study of our semester 2, 2015 series. This semester, we develop a sutra study and discussion session for an exploration of the early discourse of the Buddha and we are aiming at deepening our understanding of mind. It will be led by Mr. John Kelly and will use Bhikkhu Bodhi’s book “In the Buddha’s Words” as the guideline of our study. The session will start from 4 August with 30 minutes meditation. The schedule is below:

John Kelly has been a practicing Buddhist for over 30 years and has extensively studied the Pali language and the suttas of the Pali Canon. In 2011 John completed an MA in Buddhist Studies from the University of Sunderland and subsequently his dissertation for this course, “The Buddha’s Teachings to Lay People”, was published in the academic journal Buddhist Studies Review. He also was principal assistant to Bhikkhu Bodhi in his recently published translation of the Anguttara Nikaya.

Here is the introduction of “In the Buddha’s Words” on Amazon.com:

…… In the Buddha’s Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha’s discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise, informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow.

In the Buddha’s Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha’s contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha’s teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable.

Pali is an ancient Middle Indo-Aryan language, and the liturgical and canonical language of Theravada Buddhism. Closely related to Sanskrit, it is the language of the Buddhist Tipitaka , Atthakata (commentary) and Tika (subcommentary). It is therefore an important language for the study of Buddhism, particularly as it has developed in Sri Lanka and countries such as Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

In Semester 2, 2014, the UQ Buddhist Society will be hosting a series of introductory Pali classes aimed at students with no prior knowledge of Pali or Sanskrit, with the goal of building basic reading proficiency. We invite you to join us for this rare opportunity to gain skills in engaging Buddhist texts.

Sanka Wasalthilake (previously a Buddhist monk) received his BA degree from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (2001) and Ph.D. from the University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia (2014) both majoring in Buddhist studies. Sanka has been teaching Pāli/Sanskrit more than 15 years at an International Bhikkhu Training Institute in Sri Lanka. Sanka was invited to Sri Lankan Buddhist Monastery Brisbane in 2004 to serve as a religious advisor to the Buddhist society. Currently, Sanka lectures on Buddhist Studies at the University of Queensland as a casual staff member while continuing further research studies on Pāli sub-commentarial (ṭīkā) literature.

Pali is the canonical and liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism, and the language of the oldest extant Buddhist canon, the Pali Canon. It is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has heavily influenced other languages, such as Thai and Sinhalese. As an international language, it has historically been the “lingua franca” of Theravada Buddhism.

Knowing some Pali can not only help students to understand chanting, but it is the key to accessing the closest thing available to the words of the Buddha himself, the suttas.

We are currently taking expressions of interest for a Pali evening class to be run in second semester, 2014 at UQ. Details are still being finalised.

Please email uqbuds[at]gmail.com to express your interest.

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The Buddha said to Ananda: In propagating the Dharma to others, establish well five things:

“Propagate the Dharma in a gradual way;
Propagate the Dharma with the goal in mind;
Propagate the Dharma with kindliness;
Do not Propagate the Dharma as a means of gain;
Propagate the Dharma without harm to anybody."